The Pas ( ; french: Le Pas) is a town in

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, Canada, located at the confluence of the Pasquia River and the

Saskatchewan River The Saskatchewan River (Cree: ''kisiskāciwani-sīpiy'', "swift flowing river") is a major river in Canada. It stretches about from where it is formed by the joining together of the North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan Rivers to Lake Winn ...

and surrounded by the unorganized Northern Region of the province. It is approximately northwest of the provincial capital,

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

, and from the border of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. It is sometimes still called ''Paskoyac'' by locals after the first trading post, called Fort Paskoya and constructed during French colonial rule. The Pasquia River begins in the Pasquia Hills in east central Saskatchewan. The French in 1795 knew the river as Basquiau. Known as "The Gateway to the North", The Pas is a multi-industry northern Manitoba town serving the surrounding region. The main components of the region's economy are agriculture, forestry, commercial fishing, tourism, transportation, and services (especially health and education). The main employer is a paper mill operated by Canadian Kraft Paper Industries Ltd. The Pas contains one of the two main campuses of the University College of the North. The Pas is bordered by the

Rural Municipality of Kelsey Kelsey is a Manitoban rural municipality embedded within the province's Northern Region. It consists of several disjoint parts. The largest part is Carrot Valley, located around and southwest of The Pas along the Carrot River, but the communit ...

, as well as part of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation.

History

The area's original inhabitants were the

Swampy Cree The Swampy Cree people, also known by their autonyms ''Néhinaw'', ''Maskiki Wi Iniwak'', ''Mushkekowuk,'' ''Maškékowak'' or ''Maskekon'' (and therefore also ''Muskegon'' and ''Muskegoes'') or by exonyms including ''West Main Cree,'' ''Lowlan ...

. Their ancestors are thought to have migrated from the southeastern

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

s over 9000 years ago. The first European recorded to encounter the Cree was Henry Kelsey, an employee of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

. He travelled through the area between 1690 and 1692 on his way to the

Canadian prairies The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie Provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...

. During the years of

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

, La Vérendrye, the first western military commander, directed the construction of Fort Paskoya near here. It was named after the people of the Pasquia River. For years the settlement was called Pascoyac, sometimes shortened to Le Pas. In 1904, The Pas Indian Band set up a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

on Mission Island in the Saskatchewan River. Soon after, the band surrendered their reserve lands south of the river, including the areas around the site of the Hudson's Bay Company trading post and the

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

Mission to make way for the Hudson Bay Railway and development of the Town of The Pas. By 1908, the band reopened their sawmill north of the river, and in 1912, the Town of The Pas was incorporated and The Pas Indian Band changed its name to Opaskwayak Cree Nation. Between 1906 and 1910, Herman Finger setup the Finger Lumber Company in the area, and created a village called Fingerville for the company's workers. When the Town of The Pas was created in 1912, Fingerville was absorbed into The Pas, and Herman Finger became The Pas's first mayor. Also in 1912, the community was transferred from Keewatin (a district of the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

) to Manitoba as part of the ''Manitoba Boundaries Extension Act''. The area today is composed of three distinct communities: the Town of The Pas, the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, and the Rural Municipality of Kelsey. The history of the town and the region may be seen at the Sam Waller Museum, located in the old courthouse in downtown The Pas.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultu ...

, The Pas had a population of 5,639 living in 2,150 of its 2,365 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 5,369. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, the composition of its population was Aboriginals (46.2%):

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

(26.4%) and

Metis Metis or Métis may refer to: Ethnic groups * Métis, recognized Indigenous communities in Canada and America whose distinct culture and language emerged after early intermarriage between First Nations peoples and early European settlers, primar ...

(19.8%); and

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

(51.3%). The

visible minority A visible minority () is defined by the Government of Canada as "persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour". The term is used primarily as a demographic category by Statistics Canada, in connect ...

population was 2.1%. The religious make up of The Pas is;

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

(67.2%), non-religious (30.2%), and the remaining 2.6% fall into another religion. Most of the residents are

Canadian citizens Canadian nationality law details the conditions in which a person is a national of Canada. With few exceptions, almost all individuals born in the country are automatically citizens at birth. Foreign nationals may naturalize after living in C ...

(99.3%). About 10.3% of the population can speak a language that is not recognized as an

official language An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...

of Canada. Aboriginal languages are the most common spoken non-official language (5.6%). The median age in The Pas is 34.1 years old. Age groups are: 9 and younger (16.2%), 10 to 19 (14.7%), 20s (13.6%), 30s (13.6%), 40s (13.1%), 50 to 64 (18.5%), and more than 65 (10.2%). The unemployment rate in The Pas (in 2011) was 7.3%. Educational attainment (in 2011): No certificate 30.2%; High school certificate 22.4%; College 21.6%; Apprenticeship 10.6%; University certificate 10.6%; University certificate (below bachelor) 4.5%. The marital status of all those aged over 15 is:

married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

or living with

common-law partner Common-law marriage, also known as non-ceremonial marriage, marriage, informal marriage, or marriage by habit and repute, is a legal framework where a couple may be considered married without having formally registered their relation as a civil ...

(52.9%); never been married (32.3%);

divorced Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving th ...

or separated (8.8%);

widowed A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...

(5.7%). There are 2,324 private dwellings in The Pas, most of them being occupied (94.1%). The average number of people per household is 2.5.

Culture

Farley Mowat Farley McGill Mowat, (May 12, 1921 – May 6, 2014) was a Canadian writer and environmentalist. His works were translated into 52 languages, and he sold more than 17 million books. He achieved fame with the publication of his books on the Can ...

's ''

Lost in the Barrens ''Lost in the Barrens'' is a children's novel by Farley Mowat, first published in 1956. Later editions used the title ''Two Against the North''. It won Governor General's Award in 1956 and the Canada Library Association Book of the Year for Chi ...

'', published in 1956, is the first of two children/young adults novels that are set in The Pas. The story begins at a remote trapping lodge, and then moves into the Canadian " barren lands" further north. The Pas is the main trading centre to which the book's protagonists travel to stock up on provisions and supplies to take back to their homes in the bush. In Canada and elsewhere, the book is used as part of school reading. The book's sequel, '' Curse of the Viking Grave'', makes mention of The Pas. The Pas is the site of the Northern Manitoba Trappers' Festival, which is Manitoba's oldest festival and one of Canada's oldest winter festivals. It has been held every year since 1948 and features winter activities including ice fishing, muskrat skinning, and an annual sled dog race, which is part of the

International Federation of Sleddog Sports The International Federation of Sleddog Sports (IFSS, ''International Federation of Sleddog Sports'') is the global governing/sanctioning body of sleddog sports.GAISF It represents 49 national sleddog sport federations and organizations that are o ...

. A 1991 CBC movie, ''Conspiracy of Silence'', is based on the 1971 murder of

Helen Betty Osborne Helen Betty Osborne, or Betty Osborne (July 16, 1952 – November 13, 1971), was a Cree Aboriginal woman from Norway House reserve who was kidnapped and murdered while walking down Third Street in The Pas, Manitoba. Life Osborne was bor ...

in The Pas.

Climate

The Pas experiences a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Dfb'') with long cold winters and short warm summers. The seasonal temperature range is between , resulting in an amplitude of . The highest temperature ever recorded in The Pas was on 19 July 1941. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 18 February 1966.

Sports

The

OCN Blizzard The Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) Blizzard are a junior "A" ice hockey team from The Pas, Manitoba, Canada. They are members of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, a part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League and Hockey Canada. The team is ow ...

, hockey team, competes in the

Manitoba Junior Hockey League The Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Manitoba and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The MJHL consists of thirteen teams all based ...

. The Pas is also home to the OCN Storm of the

Keystone Junior Hockey League The Keystone Junior Hockey League (KJHL) is a Junior 'B' ice hockey league in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The league, sanctioned by Hockey Manitoba, was formerly known as the Manitoba Junior 'B' Hockey League. History The KJHL champion ...

, the Huskies minor hockey league, and the MBCI Spartans who compete in Zone 11 of the MHSAA. The Intermediate 'A' version of The Pas Huskies won the 1968-69 Manitoba championship. The son of former Husky star defenceman Jack Giles,

Curt Giles Curtis Jon Giles (born November 30, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Selected by the Minnesota North Stars in the 1978 NHL Entry Draft, Giles had two tenures with the North Stars (1979– 86 and 1987– 91). During ...

, had a career in the NHL with New York Rangers, St. Louis, and Minnesota. The Pas native Murray Anderson was the first known locally born player to make the NHL, with Washington Capitals in the 1970s. Warren Harrison, younger brother of ex-Husky Roger Harrison, was drafted 53rd overall by the Oakland Seals in the 1969 NHL amateur draft. The Pas Teepees were baseball champions in the Polar League in 1959. The team included several members of the Huskies, and were inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

Government

The Pas is governed by a mayor and six councilors who are elected by residents. The mayor is Herb Jaques. The region is represented in the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gen ...

as part of The Pas riding. The riding is held by

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

(NDP)

Member of the Legislative Assembly A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. S ...

Amanda Lathlin Amanda Lathlin (born July 17, 1976) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in a by-election on April 22, 2015.Oscar Lathlin who had held the riding from 1990 until his death in November 2008. She is the first First Nations woman ever elected to the provincial legislature. In the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Commo ...

, The Pas is part of the

Churchill—Keewatinook Aski Churchill—Keewatinook Aski (formerly Churchill) is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1935. It covers the northern four-fifths of Manitoba, a vast wilderness area ...

riding, held by

NDP NDP may stand for: Computing * Neighbor Discovery Protocol, an Internet protocol * Nortel Discovery Protocol, a layer two Internet protocol, also called SONMP * Nondeterministic programming, a type of computer language Government * National ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

Niki Ashton Niki Christina Ashton (born September 9, 1982) is a Canadian politician. She is the New Democratic Member of Parliament for the federal electoral district of Churchill—Keewatinook Aski in Manitoba, Canada. She was first elected in the 2008 f ...

Education

The Pas' public school system is the Kelsey School Division, which consists of two elementary schools (Kelsey Community School and Opasquia School), one

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

(Scott Bateman Middle School), one alternate program and adult learning Centre (Mary Duncan School) and one

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

(Margaret Barbour Collegiate Institute) There is also a K-6 school (Joe A. Ross) and a junior high/high school (Oscar Lathlin Collegiate) located on the Opaskwayak Cree Nation. The town hosts the main campus of the University College of the North.

Media

;Radio * AM 1240: CJAR,

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

* FM 92.7: CITP-FM,

community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popu ...

* FM 93.7: CKSB-3-FM,

Première Chaîne A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its firs ...

(repeats CKSB

) * FM 94.5: CBWJ-FM,

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of C ...

(repeats

CBWK-FM CBWK-FM is the callsign of the CBC Radio One station in Thompson, Manitoba. The station broadcasts at 100.9 MHz. The station's studios are located on Selkirk Avenue in Thompson. History The station signed on in 1980. Although separately licens ...

Thompson Thompson may refer to: People * Thompson (surname) * Thompson M. Scoon (1888–1953), New York politician Places Australia *Thompson Beach, South Australia, a locality Bulgaria * Thompson, Bulgaria, a village in Sofia Province Canada ...

) ;Television CBWIT first went on the air in June, 1962 as CBWBT-1. The station broadcast kinescope recordings sent to the transmitter from CBWT. On March 1, 1969, the province-wide microwave system replaced the kinescope recordings, and The Pas has enjoyed live television since then. All stations serving The Pas are repeaters of Winnipeg-based stations. * CBWFT-1 Channel 6 ( Radio-Canada) * CBWIT Channel 7 ( CBC) * CKYP-TV Channel 12 (

CTV CTV may refer to: Television * Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet North America and South America * CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media ** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...

)

Shaw Communications Shaw Communications Inc. is a Canadian telecommunications company which provides telephone, Internet, television, and mobile services. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Shaw provides home telecommunications services primarily in Alberta and Br ...

is the local cable television provider serving The Pas, and operates the local

Shaw TV Shaw Spotlight (formerly Shaw TV) is the name of locally based community channel services operated by cable TV provider Shaw Communications. The channels are available only to Shaw Cable subscribers and are produced in communities throughout w ...

channel on cable channel 11. ;Newspapers * ''Opasquia Times''

Notable people

* Henry Budd, Anglican priest * Parker Burrell, politician * Albert Campbell (dogsled racer), dog sleder *

Pat Carey (musician) Patrick Leonard Carey (born 1960) is a Canadian baritone and tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, vocalist and is best known for his longstanding association with the Downchild Blues Band. Early life Pat Carey, originally from The Pas, Manitoba, was ...

, musician *

John Carroll (Manitoba politician) John Benson Carroll (October 13, 1921 – September 25, 1986) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1958 to 1969, and served as a cabinet minister in the ...

, politician *

Ovide Charlebois Ovide Charlebois (17 February 1862 - 20 November 1933) was a Canadian Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Apostolic Vicar of Keewatin from his appointment in 1910 until his death; he was also a professed member of the Marian Oblates. Ch ...

, vicar *

Connor Dewar Connor Dewar (born June 26, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). Early life Dewar was born on June 26, 1999, in The Pas, Manitoba, Canada to parents Ki ...

, hockey player * Herman Finger, politician *

, hockey player *

Brian Goudie Brian Goudie (born November 9, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman/ enforcer and coach. Goudie played major junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds before starting his professi ...

, hockey player *

Glen Gulutzan Glen Gulutzan (born August 12, 1971) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He is currently an assistant coach for the Edmonton Oilers. Playing career Gulutzan played junior hockey with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Brandon Wheat Kings and ...

, hockey coach *

Owen Hughes (politician) Owen Edward Hughes (1848–1932) was a British-born judge and territorial level politician in Canada. He served as a Member of the North-West Territories Legislative Assembly from 1885 until 1888. Early life Owen Hughes was born in London, ...

, politician * John Ingebrigtson, politician *

Amanda Lathlin Amanda Lathlin (born July 17, 1976) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in a by-election on April 22, 2015.Oscar Lathlin, politician *

Robert Orok Robert Dick Orok (October 2, 1878 – November 8, 1957) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1912 to 1915, as a member of the Conservative Party. Biography Orok was born in Midhurst, On ...

, politician *

, murder victim * Walt Peacosh, hockey player *

Roddy Piper Roderick George Toombs (April 17, 1954 – July 31, 2015), better known as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was a Canadian professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and actor. In professional wrestling, Piper was best known to international audiences for his ...

, wrestler * W. B. Scarth, politician *

James Settee James Settee (circa 1809 - 19 March 1902), was of Swampy Cree descent. He was given the name James Settee when he was baptized in 1827. He was the second Native American ordained an Anglican priest; following Henry Budd. He married Sarah (Sally) ...

, Anglican priest * Ernest J. Smith, architect *

Chelsea Stewart Chelsea Blaine Stewart (born April 28, 1990) is a Canadian former soccer player who played as a defender for the Canada women's national soccer team. Personal Stewart was born in Denver, Colorado to a Canadian father and an Italian mother (fr ...

, soccer player * Bernard Munroe Stitt, politician * Emile St. Godard, dog sleder

References

External links

Town of The Pas website
{{DEFAULTSORT:The Pas 1912 establishments in Manitoba Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Logging communities in Canada Towns in Manitoba Populated places on the Saskatchewan River